Fadwa Attia from Egypt writes about popular theater and its beauty on World Theater Day and its relationship to her initiative (Fadwa Attia's initiative Art and Life)

 

Theater and identity are an ongoing state since ancient times, since the times of the ancient Egyptians, when celebrations of religious and funeral rituals were held. The ancient Egyptians had their own arts. We have become an extension, and different civilizations pass through the ages, including the civilization of the ancient Egyptians, the Coptic civilization, the Islamic civilization, and other civilizations, which makes us influenced and affected by them. These civilizations contain solidity, cohesion, symbols, icons, drawings, and expressive arts.

From here we see the features of those civilizations that influenced our identity, and made us grow stronger in forming a true awareness of that identity. Therefore, I always say that true awareness of civilization in the form of true culture is needed by society, and this is very important. These standards and standards need to be developed gradually from one moment to the next. And another: We are peoples with civilizations, and civilizations are a never-ending source. The identity with theater in addition to its culture required many, many things, and from here we write that theater and identity are an equation with an integrated foundation. It is a fully-fledged building, with real pillars of awareness, culture, and visual stock. So what was it? There is real Egyptian theater from the 1960s to the present. Egyptian theater needs that identity with its features, structure, and vocabulary.

Among that popular theater that is close to the hearts of the people and the audience, this theater includes all the arts of plastic arts, lace art, puppetry, and shadow fantasy, and let us not lose sight of our feeling towards it, as it will never be repeated. Identity is an essential part of that popular theatre, the features of which have been clearly shaped in our lives. That is why I called for it repeatedly, especially its importance while preserving the authenticity and identity of this popular theatre, which we cannot ignore. Thus, we see that we need to be reminded of the real popular theater that we are currently missing, and if there is something that reminds us of it, which is people’s love for it and their closeness to it, then it is a real theater that expresses people’s issues and concerns, and from this popular theater it appeared clearly in its vocabulary and compositions, which made us propose An important question: Has it been overlooked now or what?

There is popular theater that exists in various places, but it is not to the extent required at the present time. We really need it to learn about all the different civilizations of our ancestors, from the civilization of the ancient Egyptians through the Coptic civilization and then the Islamic civilization, so that we can reach those cultures and form identity, thus establishing the equation between identity and theater, especially popular theater. stage. A very difficult equation, and that is why we must remember the other arts associated with it to make us talk about contemporaneity and originality that cannot be ignored at the present time. There must be a theater with its own identity in order for us to enjoy the theater we love, and this is what I presented and called for through my writings. As a critic, interior designer, and visual artist, I advocate this often. With that theatre, with the identity of the presence of originality and modernity, to make us distinct in our Egyptian theatre, and this is what I presented in the Fadwa Attia initiative for art and free voluntary life for the sake of God years ago, and successive generations taught us and we will meet again, so we are still talking with you about popular theatre.